Many prior devices have been developed for capturing the heat given off of a wood or coal burning fireplace so that heat is not lost out the chimney. One device is disclosed in U. S. Pat. No. 3,995,611 wherein a fireplace heating channel is provided which may be fitted in a conventional type fireplace increasing the heating efficiency thereof. However, this device seeks to capture the heat from the sides and above the fire burning in the fireplace and neglects the maximum concentration of heat which is in the hot coals which fall upon the hearth. U.S. Pat. No. 1,469,494 seeks to provide a hollow hearth wherein air is circulated so as to transfer heat from the coals falling upon the hearth. However, the provision of a metal surface for the hearth has been a problem in that the plate is highly subject to warping due to the uneven heat concentration on the metal plate and the inability to rapidly and efficiently transfer the heat away and maintain an even heat distribution over the plate.
Accordingly, an important object of the present invention is to provide a fireplace heat exchange apparatus which provides heat recovery from a fireplace in an area of maximum heat concentration.
Still another important object of the present invention is to provide a heat exchange apparatus for use in a conventional fireplace wherein air circulates underneath an artificial hearth surface having a plurality of heat transfer elements which effect a rapid and even heat transfer from the hearth.
Still another important object of the present invention is to provide heat transfer elements below an artificial hearth surface which efficiently transfer the heat from the hearth and provide passageways which initiate a circular air distribution pattern into the space to be heated.